UP to honor National Artists Bencab, Mojares, Locsin in third Tanghal Tertulia

The University of the Philippines (UP) will honor National Artists Benedicto Cabrera, Resil Mojares and Agnes Locsin in the third staging of Tanghal Tertulia on 21 February.

Set once again against the bamboo-lined UP Executive House Amphitheater, the annual tribute promises an evening of music, dance, and prose, with visual arts taking a more prominent role this year. The program celebrates the honorees’ enduring contributions to Philippine arts and culture. Tanghal Tertulia recently clinched the Best Special Events Production Award at the Aliw Awards, standing out as the only event from a higher education institution recognized in the category.

Cabrera — more widely known as BenCab — was named National Artist for visual arts in 2006 for his mastery of contemporary Philippine art, particularly works that reflect the struggles of the ordinary Filipino. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from UP Diliman in 1963 and received a Doctor of Humanities, honoris causa, from UP in 2009.

Mojares, often hailed as the “Visayan Titan of Letters,” was conferred the title of National Artist for Literature in 2018. The citation recognized his lifelong devotion to Philippine cultural and historical studies, as well as his pioneering role in building the scholarly infrastructure for Cebuano studies. He completed his Ph.D. in Literature at UP Diliman in 1979.

Locsin was recognized as National Artist for dance in 2022 for her progressive work in neo-ethnic Filipino dance, marked by choreography that fuses indigenous ritual and ethnic traditions with Western classical and modern techniques. She served as a senior lecturer in the dance program of the UP Diliman College of Music for seven years, where she helped shape the artistic formation of future dancers and choreographers.

Tanghal Tertulia is UP’s flagship cultural program celebrating National Artists with roots in the University. It is led by the UP Office of the President, in collaboration with the UP Diliman College of Music, the Philippine Association of University Women–UP Chapter, the UP President’s Committee on Culture and the Arts, the UP Office of the Vice President for Public Affairs, and TVUP.

The inaugural edition in 2024 honored Ramon Santos (music), Gémino Abad (literature), and Virgilio Almario (literature). Its second iteration paid tribute to Ricardo Lee (film and broadcast arts), Fides Cuyugan-Asensio (music), and Ryan Cayabyab (music).

Tanghal Tertulia is open to the public. Due to limited seating and event arrangements, admission will be on a first-come, first-served basis.